Can I make a duotone, or sepia tone image in Elements?

Can I make a duotone, or sepia tone image in Elements?Elements does not allow you to make true duotone images, but you can create a similar effect as follows.

If you image is in grayscale mode, convert it to RGB by choosing Image > Mode > RGB color.

Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation.

After naming the layer (that dialog box pops up first), in the Hue/Sat dialog box, select the Colorize box in the lower right corner, and also click the Preview box (it should be checked by default).

Move the Hue slider around until you find a tone you like. Click OK.

You may need to add a Levels adjustment layer on top of the Hue/Sat one to add some contrast.

Method two – more unpredictable but more fun.

If your image is in RGB, remove the color from it by choosing Enhance > Color > Remove Color. (If it’s already in grayscale, skip this step; duh.)

If your image is in grayscale mode, you need to convert it to RGB. Choose Image > Mode > RGB Color.

Choose Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color. Name the layer, and choose Overlay from the Blend Mode drop down menu. You can do this in the Layers palette after adding the adjustment layer, so do it either here, or there, later.

Pick a color. Don’t worry too much about the color – you can always edit it later by double-clicking the adjustment layer icon which is the square on the left on the adjustment layer – the one on the right is the mask icon.

Click on OK, and then go to the Layers palette and lower the adjustment layer’s opacity to 40 % (experiment with that setting – that’s just a starting point). Opacity is in the upper right corner of the Layers palette. Type a value, or click the down arrow to find a slider.

Try changing the adjustment layer’s Blend Mode to Color. This gives a softer effect. The Blend Mode menu is in the upper left corner of the Layers palette. Make sure you have the adjustment layer selected when you change the blend mode.